Crowborough
Encyclopedia
The highest point in the town is 242 metres above sea level. This summit is the highest point of the High Weald and second highest point in East Sussex (the highest is Ditchling Beacon
). Its relative height is 159 m, meaning Crowborough qualifies as one of England's Marilyns
. The summit is not marked on the ground.
between Tunbridge Wells and Lewes
.
Crowborough railway station
is on the line to Uckfield
which is operated by Southern
taking passengers to London Bridge station
; the journey takes approximately one hour.
There are also two independent preparatory school
s.
The town's location on the cusp of the Kent
/East Sussex border means that the grammar school
s in Kent are available for Crowborough pupils.
and Haywards Heath
.
The largest public recreation space within the town boundary is Crowborough Common. This ancient common covers over 220 acres with full public access "for the taking of air and exercise". The common is home to Crowborough Beacon Golf Club. Most of the common is heathland and woodland, with less than half of the total area comprising golf links. The public may access all areas of the common on foot, including the golfing areas.
Crowborough Athletic F.C.
and Jarvis Brook F.C. are the town's main football clubs, and Crowborough currently play in Sussex County League Division One.
Crowborough Rugby Football Club won promotion from the Sussex leagues in 2006 and now plays in the London South 3 division.
Crowborough Tennis and Squash Club has nine outdoor all-weather tennis
courts and four squash
courts, as well as offering racketball and other sporting activities. The club competes in county leagues in both tennis and squash, with the club's first team in squash playing in the Sussex Premier League.
Crowborough Scout Group, the third largest in the UK, is actively involved with the Crowborough community.
's book The Last Word (1990) is set on a winter morning in Crowborough. Greene's parents lived in Crowborough through WWII.
, held annually on 5 November. An average attendance of 5000 people descend upon Goldsmiths Recreation Ground to witness this town council event. However this is overshadowed by the shenanigans of 'Carnival night' which sees the whole of the town taking to the streets. Donations on the night are traditionally collected by the local Lions Club, and donated to the mayor's charity. The town council also puts on a summer fair and a Christmas fair, for which the dates are agreed annually.
with: Montargis
, France
Horwich
, Greater Manchester
, England
Ditchling Beacon
Ditchling Beacon is the third-highest point on the South Downs in south-east England, behind Butser Hill and Crown Tegleaze . It consists of a large chalk hill with a particularly steep northern face, covered with open grassland and sheep-grazing areas...
). Its relative height is 159 m, meaning Crowborough qualifies as one of England's Marilyns
Marilyn (hill)
A Marilyn is a mountain or hill in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or Isle of Man with a relative height of at least 150 metres , regardless of absolute height or other merit...
. The summit is not marked on the ground.
Transport
Crowborough is located on the A26 roadA26 road
For the road in Northern Ireland see A26 road The A26 road is one of the three cross-country two-digit numbered roads in the southeast of England, the others being the A25 road and A27 road. It carries traffic from Maidstone in Kent in a generally south-westerly direction to Tunbridge Wells and...
between Tunbridge Wells and Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
.
Crowborough railway station
Crowborough railway station
Crowborough railway station serves Crowborough in East Sussex, England. Train services from the station are provided by Southern, and the station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line.-History:...
is on the line to Uckfield
Uckfield
-Development:The local Tesco has proposed the redevelopment of the central town area as has the town council. The Hub has recently been completed, having been acquired for an unknown figure, presumed to be about half a million pounds...
which is operated by Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
taking passengers to London Bridge station
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
; the journey takes approximately one hour.
Education
Crowborough is served by one secondary school: Beacon Community College; and by seven primary schools:- Whitehill Infant School
- Herne Junior School
- High Hurstwood CE (controlled) School
- Jarvis Brook County Primary School
- St Johns CE (aided) School
- St Mary’s RC School
- Sir Henry Fermor (aided) CE School
- Grove Park Special School
There are also two independent preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
s.
The town's location on the cusp of the Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
/East Sussex border means that the grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
s in Kent are available for Crowborough pupils.
Health
Crowborough Hospital is a small, midwife-led maternity hospital. It has been threatened with closure numerous times but services are still offered in part due to a strong local campaign. Non-maternity services are provided at hospitals in PemburyPembury Hospital
The Tunbridge Wells Hospital is a large hospital in Pembury, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, run by the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. The hospital is located north-west of the village on Tonbridge Road....
and Haywards Heath
Princess Royal Hospital (Haywards Heath)
The Princess Royal Hospital is an acute, teaching, general hospital located in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England. It is the main hospital in the Mid Sussex district and is part of the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust along with the larger Royal Sussex County Hospital and...
.
Sport and leisure
Crowborough has several recreation grounds, perhaps most notably Goldsmiths, which is the site of the local leisure centre. The Goldsmiths Recreation Ground was given to the parish by private owners in 1937. The town council has since purchased additional land and has developed the ground into a much needed recreation centre for the whole community. The ground houses a sports centre including a swimming pool, a boating lake and a miniature railway.The largest public recreation space within the town boundary is Crowborough Common. This ancient common covers over 220 acres with full public access "for the taking of air and exercise". The common is home to Crowborough Beacon Golf Club. Most of the common is heathland and woodland, with less than half of the total area comprising golf links. The public may access all areas of the common on foot, including the golfing areas.
Crowborough Athletic F.C.
Crowborough Athletic F.C.
Crowborough Athletic F.C. is a football club based in Crowborough, England. They joined the Sussex County League Division Two in 1974. In the 1993–94 season, they reached the 2nd round of the FA Vase, and bettered this with a run to the 5th round in 2008. Their best performance in FA Cup was third...
and Jarvis Brook F.C. are the town's main football clubs, and Crowborough currently play in Sussex County League Division One.
Crowborough Rugby Football Club won promotion from the Sussex leagues in 2006 and now plays in the London South 3 division.
Crowborough Tennis and Squash Club has nine outdoor all-weather tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts and four squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
courts, as well as offering racketball and other sporting activities. The club competes in county leagues in both tennis and squash, with the club's first team in squash playing in the Sussex Premier League.
Crowborough Scout Group, the third largest in the UK, is actively involved with the Crowborough community.
Notable people
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930), the author of the Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
novels and short stories, whose statue stands in the town centre - David JasonDavid JasonSir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...
(born 1940), actor, most commonly known for playing the character Del BoyDel BoyDerek Edward Trotter, better known as "Del Boy", is the fictional lead character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and one of the main characters of its prequel, Rock & Chips...
in the TV sitcom Only Fools And HorsesOnly Fools and HorsesOnly Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
lived in the town during the 1980s - Mark DonovanMark DonovanMark Donovan is a Welsh character actor best known for grotesque roles in productions such as Shaun of the Dead, Black Books, In Bruges, and Murder Investigation Team. He also played a brief scene of Hamlet in an episode of the David Renwick comedy-drama, Love Soup...
(born 1968), screen actor, has lived in the town on-off since 2007 - Richard JefferiesRichard JefferiesJohn Richard Jefferies was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influence on him and provides the background to all his major works of fiction...
(1848–1887): writer and naturalist - JehstJehstWilliam G. Shields, better known as Jehst or a slew of aliases including The High Plains Drifter, Billy Brimstone and Jay Star, is an English rapper and co-founder of hip hop label YNR.-Biography:...
, hip hop artiste - Lord Derek RaynerLord Derek RaynerDerek George Rayner, Baron Rayner was a chairman and chief executive of Marks & Spencer plc , one of the major British retailers who revived and rapidly expanded the company in the 1980s...
(Baron Rayner of Crowborough in the County of East Sussex) was a chairman and chief executive of Marks & SpencerMarks & SpencerMarks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
plcPublic limited companyA public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions.... - James DagwellJames DagwellJames Dagwell is a British journalist. He was brought up in Devon, South London and Crowborough.-Education:Dagwell was educated at Beacon Community College, a state comprehensive school in the town of Crowborough in East Sussex, followed by Royal Holloway at the University of London, in Central...
(born 1974), British journalist, currently BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
presenter - Ross KempRoss KempRoss James Kemp is a BAFTA award-winning British actor, author and journalist, who rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...
, best known for his role in EastendersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
as Grant Mitchell - Dylan HartleyDylan HartleyDylan Hartley is an English, New Zealand born rugby union footballer who plays at hooker for Northampton Saints, and England.-Early career:Hartley was born in New Zealand, but qualifies to play for England through his English mother...
, England Rugby Union player - Piers SellersPiers SellersPiers John Sellers OBE is a British-born Anglo-American meteorologist and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of three space shuttle missions....
, NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft.... - Kim WoodburnKim WoodburnKim Woodburn is an English television presenter and expert cleaner who is best known for co-presenting the British television programme How Clean Is Your House? and in 2007, starred in the Canadian series Kim's Rude Awakenings.-Early career:Woodburn undertook many jobs in her adult life...
, television presenter - Tom BakerTom BakerThomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
, most notable for playing the role of the fourth Doctor in Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior... - Luxford House, on Luxford Road at the southern end of town, was once owned by the rock manager Tony Stratton-Smith of GenesisGenesis (band)Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
. His own in-house recording studio played host to, among others, Neil DiamondNeil DiamondNeil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, Genesis and Van Der Graaf GeneratorVan der Graaf GeneratorVan der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s...
, whose Pawn HeartsPawn HeartsPawn Hearts is the fourth album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, released in October 1971. The album reached number 1 on Italian album charts.-Differences between the European and North American releases:...
album cover features a photo of the house - Crowborough is also home of the English Grand Lodge for Europe and Africa of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC.
Literary connections
A WWII short story called 'The News in English' from Graham GreeneGraham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
's book The Last Word (1990) is set on a winter morning in Crowborough. Greene's parents lived in Crowborough through WWII.
Local traditions
A main event in the town's calendar is its celebration of Guy Fawkes NightGuy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding...
, held annually on 5 November. An average attendance of 5000 people descend upon Goldsmiths Recreation Ground to witness this town council event. However this is overshadowed by the shenanigans of 'Carnival night' which sees the whole of the town taking to the streets. Donations on the night are traditionally collected by the local Lions Club, and donated to the mayor's charity. The town council also puts on a summer fair and a Christmas fair, for which the dates are agreed annually.
Twin towns
The town is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Montargis
Montargis
Montargis is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. The town is located about south of Paris and east of Orléans in the Gâtinais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Horwich
Horwich
Horwich is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest from the city of Manchester. It lies at the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors with the M61 motorway close to the...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...